Welt refinisher



Dec. 19, 1922. 1,439,587.

v P. A. WARD.

WELT REFINISHER'. 51m) MAY a, 1922.

Patented Dec. 19, ll22.,.

uwTTao sTaTas PAUL A. WARD, OF ATLANTA,

enonera assreuoa or ONE-HALE 'I'O ROBERT E, KATZ, or ATLANTA, GEORGIA,

WELT nnrrmsn nn.

Application filed may 8, 1922. Serial No. 559,265.

T 0 all whom it may concern: Be it known'that 1, PAUL A. WARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Impro ements in Welt Refinishers'; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the fart towhich it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters andfigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

I. The invention relates to what will be termed a welt refinisher for shoes. It has forits object to provide a tool that will serve in resoling a pair of shoes to remove the old stitches, remove the old fudging, will remove dirt and grit that has adhered to the old, welt, will-straighten the old welt and even up its thickness, will compressthe welt to put it in better condition for refinishing and polishing after sewing, will ruffle the rough side of the'welt making it easier for the welt and sole to stick together w th cement if used, and'will generally refinish the welt and put it in better condition for reand materially save time and labor in the operation of =resoling. I w 7 To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as may hereinafter appear the invention consists in thefeatures hereinafter particularly described and then sought to be clearly defined by the claims, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, and in which i Figure '1 is a side elevation of the tool afiixed to an operatingshaft, and showing the position of the welt in the 'refinishin operation; v E

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the tool;

Figure 3 is aface view of thebody'of the tool; 1

Figure 4 is a face view ofthe adjusting and press-plate of the tool;

Figure 5 is a perspective viewof a resilient spring for exerting a yielding pressure on the welt while being operated on.

In the drawing the numeral 1 designates solin the base or body of the tool which has a central bore 2 to receive a rotating shaft to which the tool will be attached and to substantially or practically straight side 6 so that the teeth may be readily sharpened by a file when necessary or desirable. The 7 base or body of the head is also formed with a tubular extension-or stem 7 projecting beyond the head4 and designed to receive a plate 8 slidably mounted thereon and has exterior threads for a portion of its length to receive a nut 9 by which the plate may be moved towards thehead of the tool so as to regulate the space between the face of the head and the plate. The base or body is also formed with an annular socket 10 designed to receive a suitable spring, which in the preferred form shown is a fluted or bent fiat spring 11 which will press against the plate 8 so that the latter will be permitted to yield under the spring pressure in order.

to conform or adjust itself to inequalities in the welt being refinished and at the same time have sufficient pressure exerted on the welt for proper finishing of the same by the tool. The plate 8 is provided on the side that will be next to the welt with a number of teats or studs 12 which may be formed by depressing portions of the plate, or otherwise, and which Preferably are formed at varying distances from the periphery of the plate, as illustrated, so that the studs will press or force the welt towards the cavities or grooves between the teeth of the tool head in order the better to present the stitches in the Welt to the teeth of the head, for extraction by a pulling action of the teeth in the rotation of thetoola The plate is also formed with a perforation o'r aperture 13 to receive a pin 14 projecting from the head so that the plate will be held against independent rotation on its support. The tool will be mounted on a suitable rotatable shaft 15 carried by so ne suitable support 16 and rotated by suitable power transmitting means so as to rotate the tool for operating on the shoe-welt. The tool will be made of metal, preferably steel, or other suitable material, and sold as a complete article ready for attachment to any suitable shafting already installed, or as an attachment for shoe-working machines havinga rotatable shaft without calling for any reorganization of machines already in use.

In operation,-the slidable plate 8 is ad justed by the nut to obtain the space de sired between the plateand the tool head. The shaft with the tool attached being r0- tated, the operator takes the shoe, after the sole has been ripped from it, and positions the 'welt between the head and plate, with the outer or rough side of the welt next to the toothed face of the head and the inner or finish side of the welt next to the plate, the welt being inserted a greater or less distance between the head and plate as conditions may require. The T'OfEltlOD of the tool causes theteeth on the head to act on the rough or outer side of the welt so as to extract or pull the old'stitches from the welt as the studs on the plate press the welt towards the teeth of the head, and'at the same time the rough side of the welt is cleared of the dirt and grit that may have adhered to the welt and the side next to the sole is ralliedv by the teats so thatthe surface is put in better condition to receive cement if the same be later used between the sole and welt in subsequently stitching the sole to the welt. At

the time that the old stitches are being removed from the welt, the welt is compressed .between the head and plate so that it will be straightened as well as to some extent condensed so that it will be put in better condition for subsequent stitching and at the same time the studs on the plate will rub out or remove the old fudging from the finish side of the welt. The operator will turn or shift the position of the shoe fast or slow as conditions may require so as to bring another portion of the welt in position for the action mentioned until the whole length of' the welt has'been subjected to the action of the tool. The time required for refinishing the welt is but a few minutes and when finished the welt is in the best condition for receiving a new sole. The pressure to which the welt shall be subjected between the head and plate is regulated by adjusting the nut which presses the plate toward the head and at the same time theplate is permitted a slight yielding movement under the pressure of the spring so as to conform to inequalities in the welt without detracting from the proper functioning of the parts. The tool performs in a most satisfactory manner the several functions specified. I have illustrated and described the several details of construction preferred and found to give most satisfactory results but changes may be made in the specific details and essential features of the invention retained.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits what I claim is:

1.. A welt refinishing tool comprising a rotatable head having switch removing means on its face, a plate disposed opposite to the working face of the head in axial alinement with the head, a spring for exerting pressure on the plate, and means for adjustment of the plate relatively to the head.-

2; The welt refinishingtool comprising a rotatable head formed with switch removing teeth on its face, a plate disposed opposite to the face of the head, a spring between the head and plate, and means for moving the plate towards the head 3. A welt 'retinishing 'tool comprising a rotatable head having a convex face formed with grooves therein extending diagonally to the axis of the head, one wall of the grooves having a relatively sharp upper edge curved from end to end with the maximum elevation at, the. central portion to form stitch removing means, a plate disposed opposite to the grooved face of the head, and

means for adjustment of the plate relatively to the head.

4.. A welt refinishing tool comprising a rotatable head having stitch removing means on its face and a stem projecting forwardly of the head, a plate mounted on said stem to move towardsand from the head, a spring exerting pressure on the plate, and means for adjustment of the plate relatively to the head. p

The welt refinishing tool comprising a rotatable head'formed with stitch removing teeth on its face, a plate disposed opposite to the head and formed with projections on its face to engage one side of a welt between the head and plate, and means for adjusting the plate towards the head.

(3. The welt refinishing tool comprising a rotatable head having stitch removing means on its face and formed with a forward extension, a plate slidably mounted on said ex- 

